2 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
SHERIDAN — Sheridan High School boys
basketball head coach Jeff Martini wants one
simple thing out of his team each and every
night. It doesn’t involve what the final score-
board shows or how the scorebook may read. It
simply comes down to one thing — effort.
“Our identity is we are trying to play harder
than anyone else,” Martini said. “We want
people to walk away from the gym, win or lose,
thinking those guys play harder than any team
we’ve seen. We want the opponent to feel that
consistent pressure every time they catch the
ball. We just want to outplay other teams. Win
or lose, we want to go out of the gym going,
‘We played hard, and we may have lost, but we
played hard.’”
The Broncs hope that relentless effort earns
them another trip to the state tournament.
Sheridan placed second in the conference last
season. The Broncs lost their state semifinal
matchup against the best team out west, Kelly
Walsh, prior to toppling conference champion,
and rival, Campbell County in the third-place
game.
The name of the game for the Broncs — effort
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Sheridan High School boys basketball team includes, back row, from left, coach Tim Cooper, coach Mark Elliott, manager Ben Novotny, Ryan Sessions, Abraham Ross, Gus Wright, Samuel Lecholat, Blayne Baker, Aaron Woodward, Parker Christensen, Josh Ahrens, Dalton Gregory and head coach Jeff Martini. Front row, from left are, Than Rickett,Kirby Coe-Kirkham, Brock Bomar, Jacob Boint, Noah Erickson, Tristan Bower, Kyle Custis, Carter Wells, Aaron Sessions and Elliot Boley.SEE HOOPS, PAGE 16
V
BY BUD DENEGA
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 3
BIG HORN — For the young Big Horn Rams,
this season will present plenty of challenges
and opportunities.
Big Horn lost seven seniors and all five
starters from last year’s state-qualifying
team, including two-time All-State perform-
ers Colton Bates and Nolan McCafferty. The
Rams will also be without All-Conference
players Tanner Warder and Wheaton Wil-
liams.
This season will feature an almost entirely
new group of players, none of whom are
seniors. The early season has been a learning
process for player and coaches alike, said
head coach Ryan Alley, who is in his 10th year
at the helm.
“When you’re talking about young kids,
they’re going to have those mental lapses,”
Alley said. “They’re going to have those times
when they make mistakes. We just have to
understand that.”
The Rams already have as many losses
as last season and currently sit at 1-5 over-
all. They have faced difficult competition and
are short-handed, however, as juniors Kade
Eisele and Kade VanDyken recover from foot-
ball injuries.
The injuries have given underclassmen
the chance to learn on the fly. Carson Bates,
Quinn McCafferty and Will Pelissier have
stepped up early on but have also dealt with
growing pains, mainly in the form of costly
turnovers.
Big Horn has almost entirely guards and
wing players, so the Rams will struggle
against bigger opponents but plan to shoot a
lot of 3-pointers and get out in transition.
Once Eisele and VanDyken return and Alley
has a better idea of what rotation to play,
the Rams should look vastly different. Over-
all, Alley expressed confidence in his young
team’s ability to progress.
“By the end of the season they’ll have a lot
of experience and a lot of things to grow on,”
Alley said. “I’m excited to see where they can
go.”
Challenges and opportunities ahead for the Rams
2018 scheduleJan. 4-6 North-South Invitational
Jan. 12 at Rocky Mountain, 4 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Greybull, 3 p.m.
Jan. 19 vs. Sundance, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Tongue River, 4 p.m.
Jan. 26 vs. Wright, 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Upton, 2 p.m.
Feb. 2 vs. Moorcroft, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Sundance, 3 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. Tongue River, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Wright, 4 p.m.
Feb. 16 vs. Upton, 7 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Moorcroft, 5 p.m.
Feb. 22-24 at Regionals (Torrington)
March 1-3 at State (Casper)
Key stats:Head coach: Ryan Alley
Last season’s record: 21-5Last season’s conference record: 8-0Key contributors: Carson Bates, Kade Eisele, Quinn McCafferty, Will Pelissier
and Kade VanDyken
The Big Horn High School boys varsity and junior varsity bas-ketball teams include, back row, from left, Gentry Lattin, Cutler Bradshaw, Jaxon Parker, Quinn McCafferty, Isaac Pearce, Kade VanDyken, Will Pelissier, Wyatt Emond, Robert Morton and Ayden Phillips. Front row, from left are, Bode Neeson, Dalton Nelson, Carson Bates, Kade Eisele, Bran-don Cummins, Garrett Custis, Billy Watson, Jacob Brogdon and Eli Philips.
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
BY RYAN PATTERSON
FILE PHOTO | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Jaxon Parker shoots a short jump shot Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 at Big Horn High School.
4 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
DAYTON — Sporting an extremely young
squad, this season’s Tongue River boys bas-
ketball team faces a steep learning curve.
With only one senior on the roster, the Eagles
must get comfortable playing with one an-
other in head coach Ronnie Stewart’s motion
offense.
Stewart is in his second year as head coach
and expects a big year from junior Jaren Fritz,
Tongue River’s only returning starter.
“He is one of the best scorers in the state,”
Stewart said. Fritz, this fall’s golf state cham-
pion, was named All-Conference as a fresh-
man and figures to receive the same honor if
he stays healthy this year. The Eagles lost five
seniors from last year’s team that finished
11-12 overall, and will be without Jay Keo and
Brennan Kutterer, both All-Conference per-
formers last year. Center Hugh Patterson, last
year’s sixth man, is the lone senior this year
and has played well early on.
Tongue River has an inexperienced roster
but several sophomores, including Cade
Reish and Nick Summers, have the potential
to provide quality offense with their 3-point
shooting. Stewart said the team will mainly
rely on outside shooting, along with Patter-
son’s presence down low to provide most of
the scoring this year.
RYAN PATTERSON | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Tongue River High School boys basketball team includes, from left, Elias Dillon-Bennett, Braden McCafferty, Nick Summers, Justice Rees, Jaren Fritz, SamPatterson, Cade Reish and Daien Bear Don’t Walk
Eagles get young contributors up to speed
2018 schedule
Jan. 4-6 North-South Invitational
Jan. 12 at Greybull, 7 p.m.
Jan. 19 at Wright, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Big Horn, 4 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Moorcroft, 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Sundance, 4 p.m.
Feb. 2 vs. Upton, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Wright, 4 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Big Horn, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Moorcroft, 4 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Sundance, 7 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Upton, 4 p.m.
Feb. 22-24 at Regionals (Torrington)
March 1-3 at State (Casper)
SEE TR HOOPS, PAGE 16
BY RYAN PATTERSON
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 5
SHERIDAN — The Sheridan College men’s
basketball team has already accomplished a
great deal in the nonconference portion of its
schedule. The Generals sported a No. 17 rank-
ing in the most recent National Junior College
Athletic Association top 25 and currently ride
an 11-game winning streak.
SC accomplished all of this early-season
recognition with a youthful roster comprised
of just three sophomores and 10 freshmen.
“This group we have, we challenged them
early with five road games to start the season,
and they responded well, and they did a good
job of going into some tough environments
and getting some good wins,” SC head men’s
basketball coach Matt Hammer said. “I feel
like we improved at a lot of different things
throughout the semester, and I think there are
some things we didn’t see as much improve-
ment in and that’s what we are looking at
during the second semester.”
The trio of elder statesmen — Channel
Banks, Ladan Ricketts and Kon Anguik — have
carried a good bit of the load so far this sea-
son.
Banks, who was an All-Region IX selection
a season ago, is averaging a team-best 18.6
points per game, which includes a 44-point
outburst against Laramie County Community
College. Fellow starter, Ricketts, pours in 12.7
points per contest for the Generals who aver-
age 94.1 points per game as a team.
Freshmen Camron Reece and AJ Bramah
round out Sheridan’s double-digit scorers,
averaging 13.9 and 13.5 points per game, re-
spectively.
The offense has been stellar — hitting 52.7
percent of its field-goal attempts — and
that can make it easy to overlook Sheridan’s
defense. The Generals are only allowing 73.4
points per game, meaning, on average, SC
is beating teams by more than 20 points
per game. The Generals only blemish came
against Trinidad State 87-85 and that one
defeat separates SC from Gillette College, at
the moment. The No. 10 Pronghorns boast a
14-0 record and appear as the team to beat,
once again, in the conference. Casper College
and Northwest College lay claim to identical
11-4 records and only two teams, Miles City
Community College and Little Big Horn are
below .500.
Generals aim to bring strong play into conference season
COURTESY PHOTO | DENNIS JACOBS/SHERIDAN COLLEGE
The Sheridan College men’s basketball team includes, back row, from left, Trace Murphey, Jani Griffth, Sidy Sissoko, Cody Baumstarck, AJ Bramah, Jerrez Porter and Camron Reece. Front row, from left, are Ladan Ricketts, Kon Anguik,Caleb Stewart, Channel Banks, Josh Bagley, Deone Stovall, Sean Sutherlin and Keenan Dowell.
SEE GENERALS, PAGE 17
Key stats:Head coach: Matt HammerLast season’s record: 23-9Last season’s conference
record: 8-6Key contributors: Channel Banks, Camron Reece, AJ Bramah, Laden Ricketts, Sean Sutherlin, Kennan
Dowell
BY BUD DENEGA
6 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
CLEARMONT — The state’s smallest school
district boasts an abnormally high number of
high school basketball players for the 2017-18
season. The Arvada-Clearmont boys basket-
ball team has 14 players that encompass a
good mix of experience and youth.
“Our goal is to develop our younger kids to
try and support our older kids and continue
to grow as a team that way,” AC boys head
basketball coach Ross Walker said.
Of those 14 players, only two started last
season and one, Riley Malli, is still in the pro-
cess of returning from a hand injury sustained
during football season. Clayton Auzqui earned
All-Conference recognition last year.
An unseasonal bounty of players
BUD DENEGA | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Arvada-Clearmont boys basketball team includes, back row, from left, Ben Briscoe, Colin Malli, Mason Beam, Tanner Klatt, Torrey Veach, Clayton Auzqui and Ethan Packard. Front row, from left, are Parker Manor, Cameron Klatt, Harry Fort, John Klier and Shane Miller.
2018 scheduleJan. 5 at Tongue River, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 6 vs. Dubois, 1 p.m.
Jan. 12-13 at Little Six Tourney (Rock River)
Jan. 19 vs. NSI, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Hulett, 6 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Kaycee, 4 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Ten Sleep, 4 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Midwest, 5 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Kaycee, 4 p.m.
Feb. 6 vs. Thunder Basin sophomores,
5:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 at NSI, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 vs. Hulett, 6 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs. Midwest, 4 p.m.
Feb. 22-24 at Regionals (Douglas)
March 1-3 at State (Casper)
SEE PANTHERS, PAGE 17
BY BUD DENEGA
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 7
SHERIDAN — Everyone is still trying to get
a feel for everyone within the Sheridan High
School girls basketball team. Head coach
Larry Ligocki, in the midst of his first year
coaching the varsity squad, brings a wealth
of knowledge within the game of basketball,
but hasn’t coached the varsity ranks. He’s still
learning and his players are working to adjust
to a new direction, and a new mentality.
“First and foremost, we all want to enjoy
the season,” Ligocki said. “When we look back
at the season we want to say, ‘It was worth
it and we really enjoyed it.’ … We’d love to be
competitive and have a shot at winning the
conference title. We look at conference at
maybe the most important thing right now.
We obviously all want to win state, but when
you compete and you compete well in confer-
ence, that’s telling.”
New-look Lady Broncs push for improved 2018 season
The Sheridan High School girls basketball team includes, back row, from left, Bailey Coon, Mollie Morris, Katie Ligocki, Kailee Ingalls, Jordan Chris-tensen and Emily Kil-patrick. Front row, from left, are Zoie Jones, Alli Puuri, Kaylee Aberna-tha, Riley Rafferty and Katie Tomlinson.
RYAN PATTERSON | THE SHERIDAN PRESS SEE LADY BRONCS, PAGE 16
BY BUD DENEGA
8 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
Lady Rams hope to return to 2A title game
BIG HORN — Last year’s state championship
set a high bar for the Big Horn High School
girls basketball team.
It will be a tremendous challenge to match
last year’s performance, even though the
Lady Rams return most of last year’s players.
Nine of 12 players come back, but the team
lost its two best players, All-State performers
Emily Blaney and Abby Buckingham. Michael
McGuire, in his third season as head coach,
said the team will again compete for a confer-
ence championship and state appearance.
“We have a pretty good mix of experience
coming back,” McGuire said. “Three returning
starters and a lot of girls that played a lot last
year.”
The returning starters are Jill Mayer, who
was named All-Conference last year, Reata
Cook and Britny Hutton.
Defense won the championship for the
Lady Rams in 2017, and it will be their calling
card again this season. Big Horn also plans to
convert defensive stops into points by having
a fast-paced offense.
“We want to be aggressive defensively,”
McGuire said. “We’re not very big, so we want
to get out and run the floor. We’re athletic
and fast, so that’s kind of what we want to
make our strength.”
The Lady Rams may struggle against bigger
opponents, but hope to exhaust their com-
petitors with constant movement.
“Try and be comfortable being uncomfort-
able,” McGuire said. “Try and find that level
where we’re playing as fast as we can without
being completely out of control, which is kind
of hard to find sometimes.”
The team still needs to improve its defen-
sive effort and conditioning early on.
Big Horn is currently 3-3 after two tough
early-season tournaments, but McGuire said
they should improve and be ready to play
their bestball of the year by the time the con-
ference season begins after the Winter Classic
in early January.
2018 schedule
Jan. 4-6 at North-South Invitational
Jan. 12 at Rocky Mountain, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Greybull, 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 vs. Sundance, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Tongue River, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 vs. Wright, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Upton, 12:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 vs. Moorcroft, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Sundance, 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. Tongue River, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Wright, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 vs. Upton, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Moorcroft, 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 22-24 at Regionals (Torrington)
March 1-3 at State (Casper)
Key stats:Head coach: Michael Mc-
GuireLast season’s record: 24-2Last season’s conference
record: 8-0Key contributors: Reata
Cook, Emma Enloe, Britny Hutton, Alison Hutton, Jill
Mayer and Courtney Wallach
The Big Horn High School girls varsity and junior var-sity teams include, back row, from left, manager Camryn Hecker, Jenny Trabert, Shyan Davidson, Sydney Schmidt, Jill Mayer, Bridget McCurry, Amelia Gee, Chrysanthi Pani-nos, Alisyn Hutton, manag-ers Koen Gore and Georgina Ringley. Front row, from left:, are Maggie McStay, Jersey DeHaven, Cassie Guelde, Madison Butler, Courtney Wallach, Jordan Frank, Emma Enloe and Britny Hutton.
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
BY RYAN PATTERSON
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 9
DAYTON — This season’s Tongue River girls
basketball team has a senior-laden roster but
the Lady Eagles are relatively new to playing
together on the court.
Tongue River lost four of its starters from
last year to graduation, most notably two-
time All-State performer Kylee Jo Knobloch.
Senior guard Jenna Keller is the team’s only
returning starter. Keller was an All-Confer-
ence performer last year.
Head coach Tyler Hanson is in his second
year and said it will take some time for the
team to reach its potential.
“The girls understand that it is a process to
get better, and we are striving to improve so
that we are as good as possible when confer-
ence play starts,” Hanson said.
He credited Tongue River’s seniors with
providing quality leadership and setting a
positive, unselfish tone so far. The Lady Ea-
gles have a nice blend of seniors and under-
classmen, including four sophomores. Some
younger players have already provided quality
contributions, including junior Holly Hutchin-
son and sophomore RaeShawna Red Star.
With few returning players from last sea-
son’s team that finished 8-15 overall, the
Lady Eagles have to expand maximum effort
to stay competitive. Hanson said the team’s
defensive effort is getting better as the sea-
son goes along, but the Lady Eagles have
struggled to score so far. Tongue River has
lost by double digits in most of its contests so
far, though it did suffer a close 44-36 loss to
Big Piney.
Hanson said the main goal is to improve
every day. The Lady Eagles snatched their
first win right before break with a 49-25 vic-
tory over Riverside. There is plenty of room for
improvement going forward, and the team
will get a chance to build off that first victory
in the North-South Invitational beginning Jan.
4.
Lady Eagles return 1 starter, boast senior-laden roster for 2018
RYAN PATTERSON | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Tongue River High School girls basketball
team includes, from left, Jenna Keller, Sarah
Summers, RaeShawna Red Star, Courtney
Good, Holly Hutchinson, Angel Richards, Kalie
Bocek, Zaveah Kobza, Brittany Fillingham and
Nikki Perfetti.
Key stats:Head coach: Tyler HansonLast season’s record: 8-15Last season’s conference
record: 3-5Key contributors: Jenna Keller,
Brittany Fillingham, Holly Hutchinson and RaeShawna
Red Star
2018 schedule
Jan. 4-6 North-South Invitational
Jan. 12 at Greybull, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 at Wright, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Big Horn, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Moorcroft, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Sundance, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 vs. Upton, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Wright, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Big Horn, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Moorcroft, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Sundance, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Upton, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 22-24 at Regionals (Torrington)
March 1-3 at State (Casper)
BY RYAN PATTERSON
10 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
SHERIDAN — The Bruce Hoffman Golden
Dome and Ryan Davis have been acquainted
for some time now. Davis, in his first year as
the head coach of the women’s basketball
team, sported an assistant coach’s jacket on
the men’s team a few years back.
So Davis is familiar with Region IX and JUCO
basketball, but there have still been some
early-season bumps along the way — partic-
ularly with the Lady Generals’ identity on the
court, which is still taking shape.
“I think we’ve already started, but the big-
gest improvement I’d like to see is us to play
our game,” Davis said. “What I mean by that
is, I think we are really set up to be a perime-
ter shooting team and while I don’t love that,
I think you have to play to your strengths.”
SC connected on 23 3-pointers in its last
two games leading up to the break, which
marked the same number of made treys the
Lady Generals had in the past four games
prior to that, combined.
“I think the last two games, especially, we
played really loose, and we just shot the ball,”
Davis said.
Lady Generals find themselves ahead of Region IX play
COURTESY PHOTO | DENNIS JACOBS/SHERIDAN COLLEGE
The Sheridan College women’s basketball team includes, back row, from left,Madison Chavez, Tyra Limpy, Ashleigh Frampton, Aubrey Meiwald, Kassie Hoyer, Noora Parttimaa and Lauren Hallcroft. Front row, from left, are Lily Jex, Carmen Ramey, Ashley Tehau, Sara Storeshaw, Brooke Cargal, Raelynn Keefer and Aloma Solovi. Note: Tyra Limpy (40) and Ashley Tehau (20) are no longeron the team.
SEE LADY GENERALS, PAGE 18
BY BUD DENEGA
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 11
CLEARMONT — The Arvada-Clearmont girls
basketball team has its sight set on another
state tournament appearance. But, unlike last
season, the Lady Panthers won’t be satisfied
with just qualifying to the bright lights of state.
They want to return to Casper, show more fight
and perhaps log a couple victories.
“Last year, it was just about going to state,
and this year it’s about going and competing
at state,” AC girls head basketball coach Sarah
Walker said. “Most of the team returns, so we
have that experience that we’ve already been
there. Now it’s about, how do we get there, and
how do we win a game?”
AC placed fourth at regionals before drop-
ping both of its games at state by a combined
tally of 96-54. Hulett and Kaycee appear as
the highest hurdles for the Lady Panthers
within the conference. AC — which has started
the season 4-2 — dismantled the Lady Bucka-
roos and fell to the Lady Red Devils during an
opening-season tournament in Upton to get a
taste of what conference play will feel like.
AC doesn’t boast a plentiful roster, but every
player that suits up for AC will see floor time.
And a lot of it. The Lady Panthers only have
nine players, but each one provides Walker
with a useful skill set.
“We really are nine deep,” Walker said. “We
don’t have girls on the bench that we don’t
want on the floor. We want them all on the
floor when we can. We have a continuous ro-
tation where someone will play hard for two
minutes and then I’ll give them a breather for
a minute.”
The Panthers return four starters led by
All-Conference selections Ashlynn Fennema,
McKenna Auzqui and Kristin Klaahsen.
AC has plenty of guard-oriented players that
can handle the ball and Walker believes in a
fluid man-to-man defense where she’ll identify
mismatches and exploit them. The Lady Pan-
thers would still like to pride themselves on
the defensive end of the floor, and have that
translate into a transition game to best take
advantage of their speed and depth.
r r
Lady Panthers set sights on state again2018 schedule
Jan. 5 at Tongue River 4 p.m.
Jan. 6 vs. Dubois, 10 a.m.
Jan. 12-13 at Little Six Tournament
(Rock River)
Jan. 19 vs. NSI, 4 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Hulett, 3 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Kaycee, 1 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Ten Sleep, 1 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Midwest, 2 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Kaycee, 1 p.m.
Feb. 6 vs. Thunder Basin sophomores,
4 p.m.
Feb. 8 at NSI, 4 p.m.
Feb. 16 vs. Hulett, 3 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs. Midwest, 1 p.m.
Feb. 22-24 at Regionals (Douglas)
March 1-3 at State (Casper)
Key stats:Head coach: Sarah WalkerLast year’s record: 12-13Last year’s conference
record: 6-3Key contributors: McKenna
Auzqui, Kristin Klaahsen, Ashlynn Fennema
BUD DENEGA | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Arvada-Clearmont girls basketball team includes, from left, Kristin Klaahsen, Taziree Smith, Charlynn Mercer, Ashlynn Fennema, McKenna Auzqui, Kerri Malli, Krista Malli, Kailei Beam and Shaylee Adamson.
BY BUD DENEGA
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 13
SHERIDAN — The Sheridan Hawks
already have nearly half of their season
completed. But even still, not much has
changed. The Hawks sport a 4-4 record,
and are present and accounted for within
the middle of the Wyoming Amateur
Hockey League standings. There’s not
much to celebrate and not much to scoff at
yet, for Sheridan.
“We need to focus on just keeping sure
we are working to improve more than any-
thing,” Sheridan head coach Kirk Viren said.
“We need to work on being intense with
the puck, getting to the puck quick and
winning the individual battles. But more
than anything, we need to make sure that
when the puck goes into the corner, we are
coming out with it more often than not.”
Sam Boyles leads the Hawks with 12
points — six goals and six assists. Justin
Bailey owns the team lead in goals with
eight to go alongside his two assists. Gun-
nar Swanson has six goals and nine points,
and Jack Chase has recorded five goals and
three assists.
The Hawks average 5.4 goals and only
allow 3.3 goals per game. Those numbers
got a boost in Sheridan’s final two games
prior to the holiday break. The Hawks
scored a combined 25 goals in a pair of
contests against Douglas en route to a
couple of comfortable wins.
Sheridan resides in fifth place of the
WAHL with eight points. Jackson sits atop
the standings with a spotless 9-0 record
and 18 points. Gillette owns the second
spot with 17 points while Casper and Pi-
nedale lay claim to third and fourth with 15
and 10 points, respectively.
The Hawks have some work to do if they
want to vault into the ‘A’ state tourna-
ment bracket. Three teams have already
declared ‘A’, leaving just one spot up for
grabs. Casper and Pinedale currently own
the best position to seize that coveted
spot, but Sheridan and Laramie are lurking.
The Hawks, who took runner-up at last
year’s state tournament, will play host
to the state tournament this year for the
first time in program history. With that dis-
tinction comes a level of excitement and
urgency for the Hawks to finish the regular
season out strong.
“It’s kind of an honor to host it,” Viren
said. “I think it’s good for the kids to be
able to play and have more family around,
and I think you take more pride in it when
it’s on your home ice. I know we are looking
forward to it.”
Hawks to host state tournament for first time
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Sheridan Hawks high school hockey team includes, back row, from left, Gavin Jones, Joel Bailey, Kelly Buchanan, Jus-tin Bailey, Walker Billings, Samuel Boyles, Jack Chase, Gunnar Swanson and Win-
Camdyn Cook, Jackson Gould, Toby Ja-cobs, Joshua Eaton, Wade Jacobs, Tris-ten Cox and Matthew Hooge. Not pictured are Ben Lavigne, Seth Rasmuson and Hunter Swanson.
2018 scheduleJan. 20 vs. Pinedale, 12 p.m.
Jan. 21 vs. Pinedale, 12 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Cheyenne, 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Cheyenne, 6:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m.
Jan. 28 at Cheyenne, 9 a.m.
Feb. 3 at Rock Springs, 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 4 at Rock Springs, 10:45 a.m.
Feb. 9 at Gillette, 6:15 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Riverton, 12 p.m.
Feb. 23-25 at State (Sheridan)
Key stats: Head coach: Kirk Viren
Last season’s record: 17-5 Second at state
Key contributors: Sam Boyles, Justin Bailey, Jack Chase, Josh Eaton
BY BUD DENEGA
14 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
SHERIDAN — The Sheridan boys swimming
and diving team’s list of goals for the 2018 sea-
son doesn’t stretch too long. If you wrote small
enough, it would likely fit on a just a fraction of a
small post-it note.
“We just want to improve and get faster every
meet,” Sheridan head coach Brent Moore said.
Those expectations aren’t shared by many
either. The Broncs only have 12 swimmers on this
year’s squad, and the short and sweet goal of
improving each and every meet is a byproduct of
having very few student-athletes.
“We aren’t going to be able to compete on a
scoreboard as well as we’d like because of our
low numbers,” Moore said. “That’s why we’d just
like to keep getting faster.”
Nine of those 12 swimmers return from last
year’s club that placed eighth at the state meet.
The state meet this season will be held at Lara-
mie High School and Moore hopes to improve on
the 2017 finish while also boasting at least one
individual champion.
Oscar Patten represents Moore’s best chance
to get someone to the top of the podium. Patten
can compete with most anyone in the state, and
is still looking for that elusive first state title. He
returned from a knee injury, that required surgery
at the Bison Invite Dec. 12 and promptly won
all four of his events. Patten ideally competes
in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles while also
dabbling in the 100-yard butterfly. Teammate
Sam Sampson will jockey with Patten during the
butterfly and perhaps the 200-yard freestyle.
Sampson will also throw his hat in the ring in
the 500-yard freestyle. Sampson led the Broncs
during the season-opening weekend in Gillette,
placing 30th in the pentathlon.
Moore will likely put a lot on young-gun
Thomas Yates’ shoulders. Yates’ versatility —
which gets put on display during the 200-yard
individual medley where he’s not particularly
weak in any one leg — and youth fosters a siz-
able upside for the sophomore.
Noah Hodges and diver Emmett Potter also
give Moore a couple more bodies that will ac-
cumulate points in big meets toward the tail
end of the season. Moore placed higher than
any other teammate in the butterfly during the
pentathlon, 17th, while Potter walked away with
an 11th-place finish in Gillette. The team isn’t
big and the goals aren’t complex but Moore and
company are optimistic for what 2018 holds.
Short, sweet goals motivate Broncs
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Sheridan High School boys swim team includes, back row, from left, Walkara Robinson, Matthew Thompson, Sam Sampson, Kody Palmer and Noah Hodges. Front row, from left, are coach
Adam Martin, Emmett Potter, Kaleb Yager, Caleb Johnannesmeyer, Oscar Patten, Thomas Yates, Cisco Gallegos and head coach Brent Moore.
2018 schedule
Jan. 5 Sheridan Pre-Invite,
4 p.m.
Jan. 6 Sheridan Invite, 9 a.m.
Jan. 12 at Laramie, 5 p.m.
Jan. 13 at Cheyenne Invite,
8 a.m.
Jan. 20 at Kelly Walsh, 10 a.m.
Jan. 26 vs. Kelly Walsh, Natrona,
Riverton, Cody and Worland,
4 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Gillette Invite, 8 a.m.
Feb. 2-3 at Conference
(Cheyenne South)
Feb. 16-17 at State (Laramie)
Key stats: Head coach: Brent Moore
eighth at stateKey contributors: Oscar Patten,
Sam Sampson, Thomas Yates, Noah Hodges, Caleb Johannesmeyer
BY BUD DENEGA
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 15
SHERIDAN — The Sheridan wrestling team
features a lot of fresh faces this year. After
last year’s team consisted mainly of juniors
and seniors, the Broncs have as many under-
classmen as upperclassmen this season.
Head coach Tyson Shatto said the younger
group provides different challenges but the
overall mentality remains.
“It is different, but you do things the same,”
he said. “If this was a veteran team, we’d still
take the steps to make sure we prepare them
for what to expect.”
Shatto set three clear objectives for the
team at the beginning of the season.
“Work hard. Have fun. Score points. That’s
what we’re trying to do,” he said.
The Broncs return two wrestlers who placed
at state last year. Senior Trevon Covolo took
fifth at 126 pounds and junior Quinn Heyneman
took fifth at 138 pounds. Both of them have
moved up classes this year, as Covolo now
wrestles at 132 and Heyneman competes at
160. Some newcomers have already contrib-
uted to the team. Freshman Reese Osborne
(113) is one of the top-ranked 4A wrestlers in
his class and freshman Hayden Crow (138) has
won nearly all of his matches so far.
New faces take center stage for Broncs
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
The Sheridan High School wrestling team includes, back row, from left, coach Kasey Garnhart, head coach Tyson Shatto, Sam Smart, Camden McArthur, JustinVela, Brenden Clem, Wesley Ndago, Tristan Scheeles, Joel Sayer, Leif Norskog and coach Mark Lane. Middle row, from left, are Mason Lydic, Vera Torkelson, Mikel Dobson, Jake Thomas, Garrett Coor, Drake deCastro, Chance Watt, Kel Tritschler, Chance Quarterman, Hayden Crow, Thomas Serenson and coach Kyle Ewing. Front row, from left, are Branton Williams, Zach Dilloway, Quinn Heyneman, Trevon Covolo, Nicolas Clemens, Matthew Legler, Reese Osborne, Steen Avery, Drake Fisgus and Ethan Johnson.
SEE WRESTLERS, PAGE 18
BY RYAN PATTERSON
16 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
FROM 4
Young teams take time to mesh together, and
are usually prone to turnovers and defensive
breakdowns. Tongue River, which runs a man-
to-man defensive system, is no exception to
those growing pains. The Eagles have allowed
more than 70 points in four games so far.
After a slow start, this young team can only
go up from this point. Coming back from winter
break, the Eagles resume play at the North-
South Invitational, beginning Jan. 4.
HOOPS : Team’s size will helpFROM 2
Martini, in his second year at the helm,
would like to follow a similar script as the
top two seeds in each conference earn an
automatic bid to the state tournament
while the bottom five battle in a regional
tournament for the final two spots at state.
The Broncs return three starters to the
fray in Blayne Baker, Parker Christensen
and Aaron Woodward.
Christensen earned Honorable Mention
All-State honors while also reeling in first-
team All-Conference honors and Wood-
ward received second team All-Conference
recognition.
Those three have shown well in the first
six games for Sheridan, which boasts a 4-2
record. Tristan Bower entered the starting
five this season and made a strong debut. A
year after coming off the bench, Bower has
directed the offense and averaged nearly
20 points per game in the early stages of
the season.
“Our size, strength and experience (are
our team’s strengths),” Martini said. “We
have a lot of guys that played a lot of min-
utes for us last year. We also have a lot of
depth and guys that can step into any role
and be successful.”
2018 scheduleJan. 4-6 at Cheyenne Tournament
Jan. 12 vs. Billings Senior, 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 at Natrona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 19 vs. Laramie, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Cheyenne South, 1 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Cheyenne East, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Cheyenne Central,
1:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 vs. Campbell County, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Thunder Basin, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. Cheyenne Central, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Cheyenne East, 1 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Cheyenne South, 7 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Laramie, 1 p.m.
Feb. 23 vs. Thunder Basin, 7 p.m.
Feb. 24 at Campbell County,
2:30 p.m.
March 1-3 at Regionals (Laramie)
March 8-10 at State (Casper)
Key stats: Head coach: Jeff Martini
Last season’s record: 14-12Last season’s conference
record: 8-3Key contributors: Blayne Baker, Aaron Woodward, Parker Christensen, Aaron Sessions, Tristan Bower
Key stats:Head coach: Ronnie StewartLast season’s record: 11-12Last season’s conference
record: 5-5Key contributors: Elias Dil-
lon-Bennett, Jaren Fritz, Hugh Patterson, Cade Reish and Nick
Summers
TR HOOPS : Can only go up at this point
LADY BRONCS : Hope for better seasonFROM 7
The Lady Broncs didn’t accomplish that too
well a season ago. They struggled and finished
the season 6-16 and 2-8 in conference play. But
the new voice in the huddle coupled with the
experience returning — Sheridan used a number
of different starting rotations last season — give
the Lady Broncs promise.
That showed in Sheridan’s home opener
against Billings Senior — which placed third in
the AA Montana state tournament. The Lady
Broncs, while undersized, battled for 36 min-
utes and led with under a minute to play before
Billings Senior prevailed.
The stick-to-itiveness of Sheridan in that
game is precisely what Ligocki wants his team
to embody each and every night.
“We are going to come at you, and we are
going to put pressure on you, and we aren’t
going to quit,” Ligocki said. “That’s what I want
our identity to be. When we get off the floor,
whether we won or lost, I want people to realize
we played a tough game, and that the Sheridan
Lady Broncs bring it every time they play.”
Alli Puuri represents the tip of the spear for
Sheridan. She sets everything in motion from
her point guard position and is a threat to score
in double figures every night. Jordan Chris-
tensen, Kailee Ingalls and Riley Rafferty add an
abundance of basketball prowess to the fray
along with a host of other Lady Broncs.
FILE PHOTO | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Sheridan’s Kailee Ingalls is fouled by Senior High School’s Mariah Linse, left, and Kola Bad Bear during the home opener at Sheridan High School Friday, Dec. 15, 2017.
Key stats: Head coach: Larry LigockiLast season’s record: 6-16
Last season’s conference record: 2-8Key contributors: Alli Puuri, Jor-dan Christensen, Riley Rafferty, Kailee Ingalls, Emily Kilpatrick,
Katie Ligocki
2018 schedule
Jan. 4-6 at Cheyenne Tournament
Jan. 12 at Billings Senior, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Natrona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 19 vs. Laramie, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Cheyenne South, 11:30 a.m.
Jan. 26 at Cheyenne East, 6 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Cheyenne Central, 12 p.m.
Feb. 1 vs. Campbell County, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Thunder Basin, 6 p.m
Feb. 9 vs. Cheyenne Central 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Cheyenne East, 11:30 a.m.
Feb. 16 at Cheyenne South, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Laramie, 11:30 a.m.
Feb. 23 vs. Thunder Basin, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 at Campbell County, 1 p.m.
March 1-3 at Regionals (Laramie)
March 8-10 at State (Casper)
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Sheridan’s Parker Christensen (21) and Natrona High School’s Ben Acres go for a rebound at Sheridan High School Fri-day, Dec. 22, 2017.
WINTER SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS 17
FROM 5
“There’s really not an off night,” Hammer
said. “Gillette College, returning the majority
of their guys from last year’s region cham-
pionship team, will obviously be a tough
test for us. Casper College, they usually
have more size than anyone in the league
and that’s true again this year. Western
Wyoming and Central Wyoming, they both
looked very good here in the non-confer-
ence, and they’ve both played tough sched-
ules and have competed well against really
good teams.
“… You have to come focused and ready to
play every time.”
FILE PHOTO | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Sheridan’s Camron Reece dunks against Bismarck State College during the Holiday Inn Tournament in November at the Bruce Hoffman Golden Dome.
2018 schedule
Jan. 5 vs. Wyoming All-Stars, 3 p.m.
Jan. 10 vs. Central Wyoming, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 at Western Wyoming, 5 p.m.
Jan. 17 vs. Miles City CC, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Little Big Horn, 5 p.m.
Jan. 24 at Gillette College, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Casper College, 4 p.m.
Jan. 31 at Northwest College, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Central Wyoming, 4 p.m.
Feb. 7 vs. Western Wyoming, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Miles City CC, 4 p.m.
Feb. 14 at Little Big Horn, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs. Gillette College, 5 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Casper College, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 vs. Northwest College, 5 p.m.
GENERALS : Region IX North once again brings top competition
PANTHERS : Young players
FROM 6
He’s the unquestioned leader of the
Panthers, at least early on, as he tries to
bring along an inexperienced group that
has yet to win a game this season.
“We usually kind of always knew or
had a lot of guys coming back, but this
has been the first time we graduated a
lot of experience and a lot of older kids,”
Walker said. “All of a sudden we have
a lot of younger kids trying to get used
to the game and find out what they
are good at and what they aren’t good
at. We’re trying to find out what their
strengths and weaknesses are and how
we can we put them in the best spots
possible.”
Many of those young players sport a
lot of speed and Walker will look to uti-
lize that to the Panthers’ advantage as
the basketball IQ grows in each of them.
Walker enters his fourth year as the
head man of the Panthers. Last season
marked AC’s best season under Walker
as the Panthers finished third in the
conference with a 13-13 overall record.
The 13 victories were more than Walker
had in his first two seasons combined
guiding the Panthers. Kaycee looks to
be the bell cow in the region, once again,
with Midwest likely providing the most
resistance.
Key stats:Head coach: Ross WalkerLast year’s record: 13-13Last year’s conference
record: 4-4Key contributors: Tanner
Klatt, Clayton Auzqui, Riley Malli, Mason Beam
‘We’re trying to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how we can we put them in the best spots possible.’Ross WalkerArvada-Clearmont Panthers head coach
18 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 THE SHERIDAN PRESS WINTER SPORTS
LADY GENERALS : Enter break at 6-8FROM 10
“When we are not telling them not to
wait for that shot that may be there later,
we just get stagnant offensively, when
we could be shooting the ball with confi-
dence,” Davis added”
Through the first wave of games this sea-
son, Davis put extra emphasis on throwing
the ball into the paint and scoring from in
close when perhaps he doesn’t have a ros-
ter that’s best suited for that style of play.
“I think it’s somewhat my fault because
I’ve tried to form them in a certain way, and
we are just not built that way,” Davis said.
“We are not built to throw the ball inside,
and maybe I was getting some people, that
need to be peripheral players on the inside,
more shots and those kids on the perimeter
less shots.”
Sheridan enters its winter break at 6-8
overall, having won back-to-back games
for the second time this season. The Lady
Generals average 67 points per game and
surrender 58.9 points per contest.
Raelynn Keefer represents the lone
Lady General averaging double figures
in points scored as she pours in 13.6 per
game. Brooke Cargal adds 9.9 and Ashleigh
Frampton chips in nine points per contest.
Casper College boasts the best non-con-
ference record at 13-2 while Miles City
Community College checks in at 10-2 and
Northwest College sits at 10-4.
Key stats:Head coach: Ryan Davis
Last season’s record: 19-12Last season’s
conference record: 6-8Key contributors: Raelynn Keefer, Brooke Cargal, Ashleigh Framp-
ton, Noora Parttimaa, Lily Jex, Au-brey Meiwald, Aloma Solovi
2018 schedule
Jan. 4 vs. Dawson Community College,
5:30 p.m.
Jan. 10 vs. Central Wyoming, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 at Western Wyoming, 2 p.m.
Jan. 17 vs. Miles City CC, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Little Big Horn, 2 p.m.
Jan. 22 at Eastern Wyoming, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 24 at Gillette College, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Casper College, 2 p.m.
Jan. 31 at Northwest College, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Central Wyoming, 2 p.m.
Feb. 7 Western Wyoming, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Miles City CC, 2 p.m.
Feb 14 at Little Big Horn, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs. Gillette College, 3 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Casper College, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 vs. Northwest College, 2 p.m.
FILE PHOTO | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Sheridan’s Matthew Legler, right, competes against Natrona County High School’s Wade Charron during the double dual meet at Sheridan High School Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017.
WRESTLERS : Added confidenceFROM 15
Of course, the Broncs have
a huge hole in the 170-pound
class. For the first time in
four years, they are without
three-time state champion
Hayden Hastings, who now
wrestles at the University of
Wyoming.
Sheridan has had a solid
start to its season, defeating
Worland in a dual and per-
forming relatively well in two
tournaments, including tak-
ing fifth place at the Battle
in the Big Horns at Worland.
Shatto expressed confi-
dence in the team’s ability
to improve throughout the
year.
“With their work ethic and
from what I’ve seen so far, I
think we’re going to progress
very well,” Shatto said.
2018 schedule Jan. 5-6 at Douglas Invite
Jan. 11 at Colstrip, Montana, 3 p.m.
Jan. 12-13 at Miles City (Montana) Invite
Jan. 19-20 at Moorcroft Invite
Jan. 26-27 at Riverton Invite
Feb. 2 vs. Cheyenne East and Cheyenne Central,
4 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Laramie and Cheyenne South, 10 a.m.
Feb. 8 vs. Campbell County, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Thunder Basin, 6 p.m.
Feb. 16-17 at Regionals (Cheyenne East)
Feb. 23-24 at State (Casper)
Key stats:Head coach: Tyson Shatto
Last season’s record: third in 4A EastNinth at state
Key contributors: Trevon Covolo, Quinn Heyneman, Reece Osborne and Kel
Tritschler
JUSTIN SHEELY | THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Sheridan’s Lily Jex is fouled by a Western Nebraska Community College de-fender at the Bruce Hoffman Golden Dome Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017.